cross species genetics

[Bloodbane]

Is cross species genetics possible, like splicing animal dna into human dna?

[Xalatan]

Yes, recombinant DNA technology is in place for different clinical applications. For example, recombinant human insulin is synthesised by inserting the human insulin gene into E. coli, which produces insulin for human use.

[Elite Engineer]

Yea, this has been a longtime practice..like XalatN said, beginning with E.coli making insulin in the mid 1970's. The DNA (for the most part) is all the same. Some species of bacteria have really strong, continuous promoters that can be used for consistent protein synthesis.

 

~EE

[Bloodbane]

What about animal dna? like using lizard dna to regrow limbs?

[Phi for All]

What about animal dna? like using lizard dna to regrow limbs?

 

Iirc, we have an embryonic regeneration that we lose before we're born. There is research ongoing that attempts to isolate the mechanism so we might apply it to amputations some day.

 

The problem is, we gave up regeneration for faster-acting scar-tissue long ago. Once we left the safety of the trees in our evolution, we needed a way to quickly stop blood loss and promote healing. Cell regeneration like salamanders (not all lizards) and most fish have requires them to find a safe, quiet place and remain stress-free and dormant during the regeneration.

[Strange]

What about animal dna? like using lizard dna to regrow limbs?

 

Also, there isn't "a gene for this" that you could just transplant. It is a whole mechanism that is distributed across large numbers of genes and how they are expressed.

 

But people are working on this. There are attempts to get nerve cells to regrow. And this recent story about a new treatment for cataracts: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35762713

 

OK, not growing a new hand, but these small scale things may be the best we can ever do.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Strange

[Xalatan]

I'm not an expert on Regenerative medicine but my understanding is the field is based around the concept of the inducible pleuripotent cell, ie. Activating dormant pathways in differentiated somatic cells that rekindles its stem potential. Lizard DNA wouldn't necessarily achieve the same because it is the epigenetic regulation of the preexisting pleuripotent genes like OCT4 and Sox2 that induces embryonic regeneration.

[Bloodbane]

Ok thank you, do you think eventually we'll be able to regrow whole limbs?

[Phi for All]

Ok thank you, do you think eventually we'll be able to regrow whole limbs?

 

Yes. It's a mechanism that has lots of potential in medicine, especially now that we're at a point in our evolution where fight or flight is not as strong a factor in our survival.

 

There's also cloning, so you may be able to grow a new arm using your own tissue, then have it attached. This may be a better way to control the process.

[Strange]

There are already some impressive advances in this area:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-14047670

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tissue_engineering